Galaxies, Stars, and Dust

Explanation: Spiky stars and spooky shapes abound in this deep cosmic skyscape . Its well-composed field of view covers about 2 Full Moons on the sky toward the constellation Pegasus . Of course the brighter stars show diffraction spikes, the commonly seen effect of internal supports in reflecting telescopes , and lie well within our own Milky Way galaxy. The faint but pervasive clouds of interstellar dust ride above the galactic plane and dimly reflect the Milky Way's combined starlight . Known as high latitude cirrus or integrated flux nebulae they are associated with molecular clouds. In this case, the diffuse cloud cataloged as MBM 54 , less than a thousand light-years distant, fills the scene. Other galaxies far beyond the Milky Way are visible through the ghostly apparitions, including the striking spiral galaxy NGC 7497 some 60 million light-years away. Seen almost edge-on near the center of the field, NGC 7497's own spiral arms and dust lanes echo the colors of the Milky Way's stars and dust .